Readings on Xinjiang

Authors

Date of this Version

9-18-2009

Document Type

Article

Citation

September 18, 2009 in The China Beat http://www.thechinabeat.org/

Comments

Copyright September 18, 2009. Used by permission.

Abstract

Earlier this week, the Chinese government announced it had arrested six people allegedly involved in a bomb-making operation in Xinjiang. Tensions in the region continue to run high in the wake of July’s riots and recent arrests of people accused of syringe attacks. China Beat recently ran an interview with a Han Chinese student, Leong, who reflected on the summer’s violence; we also featuredthis essay by James Millward back in July. Here are five more articles on Xinjiang and the continuing unrest there:

1. Lucy Hornby at Reuters posted a blog entry earlier this month describing the panicked atmosphere in Urumqi, and how the government-instituted controls on information contribute to the city’s unease:

Urumqi is a city cut off from the outside world. There has been no Internet access for two months. Phone links in or out of the region are sporadic. Text messaging is limited.

And so people gather in the streets to listen to rumors.

Walking through the streets of Urumqi these past days, the main sounds I heard were of human voices. The snatches of conversation carried rumors of syringe attacks, and outbreaks of rebellious outrage. The words floated from open shop doors, from knots of people gathered at a bus station, and from people talking on cell phones as they passed me on the sidewalk.